News Around the Neighborhood
Lecture: Restoring the Allegheny County Courthouse and Jail
Join us at the Landmarks Preservation Resource Center for our ongoing programs on house restoration, architecture, history and other aspects of historic preservation, community development and urban planning.
Location: Landmarks Preservation Resource Center, 744 Rebecca Avenue
Date: Tuesday, January 29th
Time: 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Contact: marylu@phlf.org or (412) 471-5808 ext. 527
The Allegheny County Courthouse and Jail by H.H. Richardson (1884-88), is one of the most significant of Pittsburgh’s great buildings. In 2014, Allegheny County commissioned the architecture firm of Perfido Weiskopf Wagstaff + Goettel to develop a multi-year plan to comprehensively renovate and restore this National Historic Landmark.
In this lecture, you will learn about the fact-gathering phase of the restoration process so far, which includes a detailed physical investigation of the building and facts about the original materials used on the building, its structure, assembly, and forward-thinking mechanical and electrical systems. We will also look at some of the changes that the building has undergone over the years. It is through understanding the building’s existing conditions in light of the original intent of its architect that we can help plan the process to ensure that the Courthouse remains a functioning and iconic landmark for generations to come.
About the Presenter
Jessica Stuck, AIA, began her professional career in upstate New York working on historic preservation projects including rehabilitation of the iconic Rotunda at the University of Virginia, the Vanderbilt Mansion, and restoration of historic churches in eastern New York and western Massachusetts. She joined Perfido Weiskopf Wagstaff + Goettel in 2014, where she has maintained a focus in preservation, restoration, and the adaptive reuse of existing buildings. Jessica was the project manager for developing the Allegheny County Courthouse facilities plan. All lectures are free to PHLF members. This lecture is free and open to the public, too! Check out http://phlf.org/events/ for more PHLF tours and events.Afro Yaqui’s Eco-conscious Jazz Returns
Afro Yaqui Music Collective
Thursday, February 7th
7:00 pm
Recently returned from the Kennedy Center, The Afro Yaqui Music Collective (named after the indigenous music of the Yaqui people of northern Mexico) fuses the music of first nations in the Americas with funk, jazz, and hip hop to create a new rhythm that liberates spirit and soul.
AYMC is a 9-piece outfit which descends from the ensembles of Guggenheim award-winner Fred Ho, whose work was influenced by West African, global Indigenous and East Asian musics.
Co-led by 2014 ACE Award-winning Yaqui-Mexican operatic vocalist Gizelxanath Rodreiguez and Fred Ho’s Baritone protege Ben Barson, the band uses their soul-stirring, heart-pumping sounds to respond to global issues from mass incarceration to ecocide.
Afro Yaqui’s concerts are always a hit with the Alphabet City crowd…so be sure to RSVP before this fan-favorite sells out!
[ebor_button style=”pomegranate” url=”https://cityofasylumpittsburgh.secure.force.com/ticket/#sections_a0F5A00000OT6mGUAT”] Reserve Your Free Tickets [/ebor_button]
Afro Yaqui’s Eco-conscious Jazz Returns
Afro Yaqui Music Collective
Thursday, February 7th
7:00 pm
Recently returned from the Kennedy Center, The Afro Yaqui Music Collective (named after the indigenous music of the Yaqui people of northern Mexico) fuses the music of first nations in the Americas with funk, jazz, and hip hop to create a new rhythm that liberates spirit and soul.
AYMC is a 9-piece outfit which descends from the ensembles of Guggenheim award-winner Fred Ho, whose work was influenced by West African, global Indigenous and East Asian musics.
Co-led by 2014 ACE Award-winning Yaqui-Mexican operatic vocalist Gizelxanath Rodreiguez and Fred Ho’s Baritone protege Ben Barson, the band uses their soul-stirring, heart-pumping sounds to respond to global issues from mass incarceration to ecocide.
Afro Yaqui’s concerts are always a hit with the Alphabet City crowd…so be sure to RSVP before this fan-favorite sells out!
[ebor_button style=”pomegranate” url=”https://cityofasylumpittsburgh.secure.force.com/ticket/#sections_a0F5A00000OT6mGUAT”] Reserve Your Free Tickets [/ebor_button]
“A TV film to be long remembered” – New York Magazine
Sembène – The Film & Art Festival Presents
The Autobiography of
Miss Jane Pittman
Monday, February 4th
7:00 pm
This screening marks a rare opportunity to see the beloved and ground-breaking 1970s television film The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, winner of nine Primetime Emmy Awards and a BAFTA nomination. Lead actress Cicely Tyson herself won two Emmy Awards for her unforgettable portray of Jane Pittman.
Beginning during the racial turmoil of 1960s Louisiana, former slave Jane Pittman granted an interview to Ernest Gaines, a persistent journalist.
The film is based on a novel that Gaines subsequently wrote, telling the remarkable story of Pittman’s life. Her emancipation from slavery at the end of the Civil was only the beginning of an arduous and heartbreaking odyssey, which ended at the age of 110 with her participating in the Civil Rights movement.
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The First-ever Biography of Fred Rogers
The Good Neighbor:
The Life and Work of Fred Rogers
Sunday, January 27th
6:00 pm
The Good Neighbor — the first full-length biography of Fred Rogers and a New York Times best-seller — tells the story of Pittsburgh’s champion of compassion, equality, and kindness who became an utterly unique and enduring American icon. Drawing on original interviews, oral histories and archival documents, President & CEO of The Pittsburgh Foundation Maxwell King traces Rogers’ personal, professional and artistic life through decades of work.
“The inimitable Mister Rogers becomes somehow even more enchanting. In addition to elegantly narrating the facts of Rogers’ life… King’s book brims with anecdotes of intimate exchanges that highlight Rogers’ kindness and grace.” — Booklist
King examines Rogers’ surprising decision to walk away from the show to make television for adults, only to return to the neighborhood with increasingly sophisticated episodes, written in collaboration with experts on childhood development. An engaging story, rich in detail, The Good Neighbor is the definitive portrait of a beloved figure, cherished by multiple generations.
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Doors Open Pittsburgh Presents
Ride with the King: Black History Tour
January 19, 2019
9:00 am – 2:30 pm
Doors Open Pittsburgh is providing access to three prominent African American churches in Pittsburgh, as well as to the August Wilson Center and Dollar Bank Heritage Center in Downtown Pittsburgh, during a special tour on Saturday, January 19th.
Participants will be able to tour the three churches on their own – or register for a bus tour that will take participants to all the sites. The churches are located in East Liberty, Uptown, and Central Northside.
Volunteer help is needed too!
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Doors Open Pittsburgh Presents
Ride with the King: Black History Tour
January 19, 2019
9:00 am – 2:30 pm
Doors Open Pittsburgh is providing access to three prominent African American churches in Pittsburgh, as well as to the August Wilson Center and Dollar Bank Heritage Center in Downtown Pittsburgh, during a special tour on Saturday, January 19th.
Participants will be able to tour the three churches on their own – or register for a bus tour that will take participants to all the sites. The churches are located in East Liberty, Uptown, and Central Northside.
Volunteer help is needed too!
[ebor_button url=”https://doorsopenpgh.org” style=”alizarin” target=”_self”] Learn More [/ebor_button]
Upcoming Projects: Addressing homelessness on the Northside
Allegheny County’s Point in Time Survey
On January 30th, January 31st and February 3rd from 6:00-8:00 pm we will be canvassing the neighborhoods of the Northside to encounter and ‘count’ as many people as we can who are sleeping outside. Having the most accurate number will help increase access to funding to provide more housing options for those individuals experiencing homelessness. What we need from you is to know of any homeless encampments in your neighborhoods that we can make sure to visit and engage on those nights. Please email me with details and we will check them out and engage those spaces.
Northside Clean Up
On February 16th, we will be bringing close to 60 volunteers to do some clean ups of camps on the Northside. If you have areas that are in great need, please let us know. It is best to service areas that are in close proximity since we will be getting a dumpster. At our typical cleanups, we remove around 200 bags of trash.
Forum on Homelessness
On February 23rd, we will hold a local forum on homelessness at 9:00 am. This will be time for you as a neighbor and community partner to hear and discuss some issues regarding homelessness on the Northside including panhandlers, housing programs, shelter rules, Allegheny LINK, organizational programming and more. If you are interested in attending this free event, please let me know. Breakfast will be served and the event should last about 2 hours.
Thanks for your time!
Charles Chapman – LIVING Ministry
NHA Chairman
(412) 302-1678
Letter from the President – January 2019
On behalf of the incoming AWCC Executive Board I’d like to wish everyone a Happy New Year! It’s looking like another exciting year in our neighborhood and the Board members are ready to get to work.
We want to acknowledge exiting Board Members – Elaine Stone, Tim Zinn, Carol Gomrick, Fran Barbush and Dan Adam – and thank them for their many hours of service to AWCC and their efforts working with new Board members to ensure a smooth transition. John Desantis will continue on the AWCC Executive Board as Past President, but deserves a particular mention and thank you for his work as President over the past two years. John obviously is passionate about our neighborhood, he has generously given his time and knowledge, as well as his home, to protect and advance the neighborhood vision. This is true not only of his recent term as President, but for many years before and many to come – thank you, John!
During the transition to the new year and new board there are ongoing projects that will need AWCC involvement without a pause. A couple examples of these are CCAC’s proposed new Workforce Development Center and the Southern Norfolk Railroad raised tracks proposal. As the 2019 Housing and Planning Chair, Ashley Webb will have a lot on his plate and will look to us for input and support.
Cathy Serventi, 2019 AWCC Treasurer, is another Board Member with a full plate right away. The beginning of the year marks the beginning of the budgeting process. This year, Cathy and the Finance Committee will be working on ways to make this process, and the subsequent financial reporting, a little clearer and easier to understand.
Allegheny West Civic Council budget, non-budget expenditures, support or non-support of projects affecting us, to name a few examples, is determined by vote of the membership. I would encourage everyone to become familiar and participate so that the voice of Allegheny West truly reflects the majority of residents in Allegheny West.
Allegheny West Civic Council membership meetings take place on the second Tuesday of each month at 7:30 pm at Calvary Church. With everything else in our lives, it’s hard to allocate time for neighborhood meetings – can you make every other meeting? One a quarter? What do you need to stay up-to-date on the things you’re concerned about? I’d love to hear from you – drop a note to president@alleghenywest.org and let me know what you’re thinking. Keep in mind though, you have to attend a meeting and vote to have your opinion officially counted.
Ann Gilligan
President, AWCC
AWCC Membership Meetings – January 8, 2019
Calvary United Methodist Church, 971 Beech Ave
Tuesday, January 8th at 7:30 pm
- Visitors
- New Neighbors & Guests
- Minutes
- Treasurer’s Report
- Membership
- Ways and Means
- Friends of Allegheny West
- Property
- Housing and Planning
- Northside Leadership Conference
- Other Business (Old & New)